Opening Doors
by Rose ReNamed
Summary: Parvati Patil's life is a whirlpool of emotions, problems, and betrayal. Smack in the middle of it is Dean Thomas, an awesome friend, her best friend's boyfriend... and the love of her life. ParvatixDean


The door slammed loudly. I jumped up, startled, and looked at the time. I groaned- it was already eight o'clock. I threw my book- "Architecture- an Ancient Art Revealed"- into the warm, snug armchair that I had very recently occupied. Before I could make a hurried retreat from the comforting, but rather plain living room, I heard a mocking voice.

"Wow, Parvati, what are you cooking? Smells great! Mmmmm…" She sniffed the air with great exaggeration, drawing in deep breaths. "Aaaah, I can just smell the effort you must have put into this." She flipped a mane of thick brown hair over her shoulder and smirked.

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Oh!" I exclaimed in an equally mocking way. "Oh, but my work is humbled by your extravagant efforts, Hermione. Do you not sit in a dank a dusty office all day?" I was drawing on my stock of fancy sounding words. "Do you not also write the challenging and hard to remember phrase 'Discontinued from court proceedings' all day, every day? Gasp!" Despite my comeback, Hermione surveyed me with her critical brown eyes that always made me feel that she knew something I did not. Which, of course, she did. Her bushy brown hair hung loose about her shoulders, which was odd- she normally had it pulled into a large, fluffy bun. As always, she wore a suit. Today it was a navy skirt ensemble, which made her look rather airplane hostess-ish. However, I decided not to comment, figuring it would only earn an insult about my own attire, which was jeans and a T-shirt.

She smiled mischievously. "Well, Parvati, in commemoration of your astounding effort-"

I cut her short. "Look, Hermione, I'm really sorry I didn't make dinner! I was reading! The book, it's called, um-"

"'Architecture- An Ancient Art Revealed'? Yeah, I know. I figured you'd be reading it when it mysteriously disappeared from my shelf last night." Her eyes sparkled. "Anyhoo, I brought takeout."

I deeply inhaled the scent of vegetable lo mien, pork dumplings, kung pao chicken, and shrimp fried rice. "Ooooh, thanks a million, Hermione. You're a-"

"Lifesaver." She cut me short one more. "Yes, I know." She tossed her hair with the air of a person who considers herself absolutely fabulous. Gazing vainly in a mirror as if in love with herself, she murmured in a dreamy tone, "Oh, I know, all right. What would this household do without me?" She let out a wistful sigh, stroking her image in the mirror.

I snorted. Then, to change the topic, I asked, "So, what's Ginny up to tonight?"

All joking vanished from her face, she said angrily, "Ugh, I don't know. Partying it up somewhere, or at a bar. No wait, I know- she was supposed to be meeting some new guy today." She shook her head in disapproval. "if she doesn't watch out, she'll end up tied up and drugged in the back of a van someday."

I shuddered- Ginny met so many people. How did she know for sure they weren't psychos? I turned the lights out on those thoughts and locked them away. She would be fine. I took a deep breath and grinned. "Cool. Let's eat!"

Hermione and I sat contentedly in our chairs, chatting easily. Headlights beamed through our window, alerting us to Ginny's arrival. I straightened my shirt and hair while Hermione cleared away the dishes. It was apparent she was in no mood to answer the door. I fixed a smile on my face and opened the door.

The first thing I saw was a gorgeous, lively redhead. She wore an emerald cocktail dress and a dazzling smile. Her eyes were light butterscotch, and sparkled. Her cheeks were flushed, and brushed lightly with glitter. Thick red hair cascaded in soft layers down her back.

I smiled. "Hi Ginny." Then I noticed a man behind her. His eyes were dark brown- even darker than mine. They weren't hollow, though- they were filled with warmth. His skin was pale, but not too pale. His hair was dark, soft, and thick. He wore a black shirt and black tie- it made him look sophisticated, but not stuffy.

I smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Parvati. I share this apartment with Ginny."

"Hello. I'm Dean." He smiled. I gazed at him, amazed at how his smile made his face glow, brought out a wonderful aura, made him look… really good.

Ginny coughed lightly. I would have thought it was impossible to forget Ginny, but somehow, I did. "Well, goodbye Dean. Thank you for a wonderful time."

He took her hand. "Bye, Ginny. I'll see you later."

When we entered the house, she burst into rambunctious chatter. They went to a fancy restaurant, they went for a walk on the beach, he was so great, blah blah blah. I tried to pay attention, but my thoughts were elsewhere. I wanted to know if he would be good for Ginny. That was all. I told myself that repeatedly, but I was really imagining his face…


End file.
